The country’s most successful fresh produce companies have been highlighted in a new study published by industry analyst Plimsoll Publishing.
The report is split into five categories of financial success. Top performers named to FPJ were HL Hall (International) Ltd, BerryWorld Ltd, John Dennis (Barnsley) Ltd and JP Fruit Distributors Ltd (now Dole Dartford), which are among 33 companies named as best overall financial performers, and as such feature recurrently in the report’s four other categories.
These companies reported four times the sales growth figures and far greater profits than the rest of the industry, said David Pattison, senior analyst on the project. “The rest of the industry should be falling over themselves to do business with these companies,” he added.
According to the report, the fresh produce market is growing at 3.9 per cent, and the majority of companies are showing modest growth at best. However, 34 fresh produce companies recorded more than 19 per cent growth in the last period, and are named for ‘best sales improvement’.
Some 20 companies are named under the ‘profit improvement’ category for their ability to lift loss- making “margins” to a positive average of 4.3 per cent - well above the industry’s 2.2 per cent average.
Nine companies feature as “comeback kings”, companies who were facing an uncertain future but have staged a recovery.
